welcome to nhk world "newsline." liberal democratic party leader shinzo abe has laid out terms of a coalition with new komeito leader natsuo yamaguchi. abe is set on wednesday to be named japan's new prime minister. the two leaders will try to combat the economic malaise with a large supplementary budget for the fiscal year ending in march. they plan to implement new energy policies and the leaders agreed to encourage a national debate on revising the constitution. abe has prepared to take the

reins by filling the ldp's top positions. masahiko komura and shigeru ishiba retained their posts. consumer affairs minister seiko noda as head of the party's general council. and sanae takaichi will change her focus from public relations to become the policy chief. cabinet ministers are falling into place. he selected longtime ally fumio kishida as foreign minister. he served as minister in charge of okinawa and the northern territories. analysts say that he chose him for his experience. the new foreign minister will have to deal with the relocation of the futenma air station in okinawa. abe is pressuring the bank of japan again to swiftly join his government and put an end to deflation. he says it's only natural for the government to get involved in shaping monetary policy

noting that conventional steps have failed to pull japan out of the drawn-out price downturn. abe made his call with officials of the japan business federation or keidanren on tuesday. >> translator: soon after we form a new cabinet tomorrow, i hope the government can establish a policy accord with the bank of japan to set an inflation target of 2%. the bank should be held accountable to meeting the target. >> last week boj policymakers decided to decide whether to set the 2% target in january. the bank's current goal is 1%. meanwhile the keidanren chairman is stepping up efforts to lift the nation's sagging economy. he said the landslide election victory signals the party's hope

to regain a strong japan. >> translator: i think a wide variety of policies including monetary policy should be implemented to get the economy back on track. they will together help trigger economic growth again. >> he also expressed his support for abe's plan to restore the council on economic and fiscal policy. the panel was closed under the noda administration. an afghan police woman has shot and killed an american civilian adviser in afghanistan. the incident is the latest in a string of attacks in the country by local soldiers and police. our correspondent in bangkok has the examples. the attack occurred in kabul on monday. the police woman was immediately detained following the incident. the motive behind the shooting is not clear. a female officer of the local

police force approached and shot dead an american who was working as a security advisor at police headquarters and in a separate incident a police officer shot and killed five colleagues in the northern province of jos john before fleeing the scene. afghan police believe the officer is a member of the taliban. more than 50 members of the nato-led forces in afghanistan have been killed by afghan soldiers or police officers. these incidents are casting a shadow over afghanistan-u.s. ties ahead of the withdrawal of international combat troops at the end of 2014. >> these are events that we are familiar with. we work very, very closely with our afghan partners. they events that affect both isef and our afghan security force brothers. we continue to work to mitigate them as much as possible.

>> the taliban has not claimed responsibility for the shooting in kabul on monday. but the group claims to have placed many infiltrators in the afghan military and police forces to launch attacks on international troops. an archaeological dig in afghanistan unearthed priceless cultural assets. the area is also home to a large copper deposit. researchers are concerned that historic artifacts may be destroyed. nhk world's hideki yui has the story. >> reporter: researchers have found a settlement in mes ayak. their dig site plays within the perimeters of a copper mine and the development of a chinese state owned company. in 2009 the afghan government suspended mining exploration in the area and allowed a french research team to conduct excavations.

some of the artifacts found at mes ayak over the past three years are now being exhibited at the national museum of afghanistan in the capital kabul. the cultural assets include more than 1,000 articles such as statues and coins from the fifth to seventh centuries. excavations are continuing and researchers have a clearer picture of what the settlement looked like, but they are becoming increasingly alarmed. this is because a halt on mining exploration is scheduled to be lifted at the end of this month. the central government wants a speedy reconstruction and plans to allow a chinese company to resume development of the area. the excavation team is urging

the government to extend a suspension saying more time is necessary. >> we need more time to excavate because the site is really huge and then we need to carry out about all these things we've found. >> reporter: prolonged disturbances and war in afghanistan have seriously damaged other historic sites including the greatest statue of buddha at bermya destroyed by the taliban. the country's still at the crossroads of ancient cultures and is today rich with historic remains. from east to west, the road to india stretched from the north to south. researchers are urging the country to make full surveys of it cultural artifacts.

they say they can be passed down to future generations now that years of war in the country are drawing to a close. hideki yui, nhk world. violence between buddhists and minority muslims in myanmar has continued for seven months. the country has not yet found a fundamental solution to the conflict and now the u.n. general assembly ask expressing serious concern over the latest surge of sectarian violence in the western state. the 193-member world organization adopted the resolution on monday. it urges government action to improve the situation of the minority and to protect all their human rights including their right to nationality. the clash betweenees first erup may.

thousands of people have been displaced since june. clashes have become more severe since october when at least 84 people were killed and more than 120 were wounded. many buddhists in mean man view the muslims as illegal aliens from bangladesh. the government does not recognize them as citizens. bangladesh refuses to grant citizenship status. that will wrap up our bulletin for today. artists have tried since 1945 to make sense of the atomic bombings in japan. one of them, the menga comic artist has sadly passed away. he died of lung cancer at 73.

he survived hiroshima himself as a child and worked tirelessly to deliver a powerful message for world peace. nhk world has more. >> reporter: barefoot gen is a story of a boy who survived the atomic bomb on hiroshima. author keiji nakazawa was 6 when he lost his father and two siblings in the bombing, but he avoided the topic in his first manga comics. survivors were often shunned by society. nakazawa preferred to keep silent, but he changed deeply when his mother passed away in 1966. she was also a survivor. >> translator: when my mother was cremated, there were no pieces of bones left at all. that made me so angry. i made up my mind not to ignore the bomb. >> reporter: nakazawa began to

create work inspired by the a-bomb. barefoot gen was the most famous with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide in 20 languages. nakazawa's vivid and hellish depictions of hiroshima shocked readers around the world. nakazawa donated his original drawings in 2009 to the hiroshima peace memorial museum. and he became a stern spokesman against nuclear weapons. nakazawa became even more passionate when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. he plunged himself into a variety of activities to hand down his message. >> translator: i ask you to send a message to the world from hiroshima about the reality of atomic war.

>> reporter: many people expressed sorrow over nakazawa's death including a-bomb survivors. >> translator: the only way we can pay tribute is to carry on his legacy to promote peace. >> translator: he contributed in many ways to share hiroshima's message against nuclear weapons and for peace. >> reporter: japan has lost a key figure supporting global peace and nuclear disarmament. keiji nakazawa may be gone but his voice continues to resonate amongst readers, both old and new. nhk world, tokyo. coastal residents in northeastern japan may feel more reassured when an earthquake strikes. japanese weather forecasters have launched a new system to

detect tsunami. meteorological agency engineers installed the two sensors in october. they placed them on the seabed near the japan trench more than 300 kilometers off tohoku's pacific coast. agency analysts use the sensors to monitor crucial changes in hydraulic pressure. they receive the data through a satellite communication system installed on floatation devices. until now, they always had to place sensors close to the shore to receive data by cable. agency personnel say they can now detect a tsunami ten to 20 minutes earlier if a quake occurs near the japan trench. forecasters have already been using conventional tsunami detectors at 35 offshore locations around japan. thousands of people waiting to go home. tons of debris waiting for disposal. vast tracks of land waiting to be restored.

over coming the challenges of japan's 2011 disaster won't be easy. but step by step people are moving forward. find out how on "the road ahead" every wednesday at 1:00 p.m. right here on juice nine. the u.s. government will sell four high performance drones to south korea. the deal is meant to upgrade surveillance on north korea as the country continues to develop its missile and nuclear programs. u.s. defense department. officials announced the $1.2 billion deal for the global hawk drones and related equipment. the aircraft can fly non-stop for 24 hours and identify objects the size of a golf ball from an altitude of 20,000 meters. u.s. officials say they revised a defense agreement with south korea to allow the sales and share the reconnaissance activity. the u.s. military has four

global hawks stationed in guam. it's been urging japan to buy drones citing china's growing presence in regional waters. north koreans celebrate the birthdays of kim jong un's father and grandfather but the young leader's special day hasn't been declared a national holiday. kim was reportedly born on january 8th. a recent 2013 calendar shows the date with simple black characters, but the birth dates of north korea's founder kim il sung and his son kim jong-il appear in large red letters indicating national holidays. experts say kim jong un's birthday isn't being recognized yet. they cite his young age and lack of experience as the country's leader. people in bethlehem celebrated the birth of jesus christ in tanl christmas mass. the service was held at the church of the navitity in the

palestinian city. tourists are flocking there. but palestinians are being left out in the cold. nhk world has more. >> reporter: the streets now littered with christmas lights. this is the church of the nativity, the birthplace of jesus christ. this christmas time there are many pilgrims from all over the world trying to celebrate the christmas in the holy land. the church holds midnight mass every christmas. palestinians last year saw their state become a full unesco member. this led to the church's designation as a world heritage site. partly thanks to that, bethlehem

welcomes yearly 20% more tourists this year. >> it's really weird to see that that is the place where christ is supposed to be born. that is really nice an it's a really pretty church. >> reporter: new hotels are going up one after another, and business has souvenir shops. this store even hired a russian employee to serve a growing number of visitors from a country whose economy is growing rapidly. tour groups are common. under israeli rules, palestinian guides cannot go to the airport to meet tourists. they are not allowed to pass through an israeli security war. meant to prevent attacks from

palestinians. that's why they cannot organize group tours. they are forced to solicit customers in front of the church. >> you just know that you can walk like this, do all that and you're just sitting and waiting and have nothing to do. it's just a bad feeling. >> reporter: the united nations last month upgraded plo's observer status to non-member state, but that hasn't made life any easier for the people. more than 170 pill stannians were killed in the gaza strip last month as israeli forces fought palestinians. >> we wish there would be peace. >> the message of bethlehem is peace in the world, and we hope peace will become real in

palestine, the birthplace of jesus christ. >> reporter: palestinian christians who attended mass at the church of the nahhive i have played for peace in the conflict-torn region. nhk world, bethlehem. the new year means a new rule for the most populous city in united states. starting in march health authorities in new york are banning restaurants, movie theaters and food carts from selling large sodas and other sugary drinks, part of their fight against obesity. opponents of the ban are pysing with fury. >> reporter: early evening at movie theater in midtown manhattan. as soon as they enter, customers head straight to the concession stand.

the biggest sellers are the sugar-laden sodas, and they come in giant servings. even a small-sized cup holds 800 milliliters. and a large cup holds 1.5 liters and refills are free. the large serving costs only a dollar more than a small size. no wonder why most customers go for the large size. it's a better deal. >> this is -- i think it's a medium, i think. but it's huge. it's because it's what we're used to. it's too much of it, way too much. >> reporter: today about 20% of children in the u.s. are obese. it's a huge problem among low income people, especially those who rely on fast food. obesity rates are swelling every year. by 2040 an estimated 40% of all

u.s. adults will be obese. sodas and soft drinks have been identified as one of the causes. >> welcome, everyone. >> reporter: in september, new york became the first u.s. city to restrict sales of large-sized sodas and other sugary drinks. restaurants, fast food chains and movie theaters will only be allowed to serve cups that old 470 milliliters or less. that's a third of the largest cups now available. the deciding factor was the city's ballooning medical costs. in new york city alone obesity-related medical costs come to over $3.8 billion a year. if obesity rates continue to rise, the financial burden will be crippling. >> this is the single biggest step any city has ever taken to curb obesity. it is not the last step that lot of cities are going to take. we believe that it will help save lives.

>> reporter: the beverage industry is fiercely opposed to the ban. workers have been holding protest outside new york city hall. >> they should really take a stand and make sure they're getting exercise and not just trying to cut the size of the drink. >> reporter: they have launched an all-out war against the city claiming the ban is invalid. many movie theaters the are also voicing their opposition. soda is cheap to buy in bulk, so the more they sell, the bigger their profits. if they have to shrink the size, they will have to lower prices and this will eat into their profits. >> concessions probably could run anywhere from 25 to 35% of the revenues of a movie theater. take that away from them, and

that's a tremendous loss. concessions is the lifeblood of these theaters. >> reporter: obesity is such a serious problem in the united states that new york city feels tackling it shouldn't be left up to the individuals, but limiting people's freedom of choice is triggering a serious debate across the country. nhk world, new york. a tropical storm is causing havoc as people in the philippines celebrate christmas. meteorologist robert speta has the details. >> we're watching tropical storm wukong. it is pushing towards the west. it is christmas, one of the last things you'd think we'd be talking about is a tropical storm. but winds gusting up to 108 kilometers per hour. it is pushing off towards the west. about to make landfall along the southern portion before moving into western vesies.

the big problem with this one is the heavy rainfall. if you remember just a few weeks ago, typhoon bopha pushed through here and people are still recovering. then as it pushes off to the west going into wednesday and then thursday, manila, you'll get in on this heavy rainfall. we'll be watching this one as it does bring that risk of tropical activity. switching gears, let's look off japan. see the lines coming from the north to the south, all of this is that sea effect snow machine really ramming up here. in some places along the west coast of honshu, you could be seeing up to 70 centimeters of snow. this is where the big ski slopes are located. a lot of people will really be enjoying this, adding more snow on top of what you've already seen. but it will be creating hazardous travel conditions all the way across hokkaido. it comes down all the way from

the west. this will start to taper off going into your wednesday and eventually thursday as high pressure starts to ridge in from northeastern china over japan. that will shut off that sea effect snow machine. look at beijing. beijing at minus one. sewell land bator, you are the cold spot on the map, minus 17 here on your wednesday. into the tropics, you're still seeing that tropical activity, 32 here for your high in the midpart of the week. as we look over towards americas, severe weather has erupted across oklahoma and moving over to the lower mississippi river valley. we have this cold front attached to it. all this area actually across louisiana has been seeing tornado warnings. frequent lightning, even damaging hail coming out of this. then towards the north we have heavy snowfall likely across the central plains and into the great lakes regions. you're under a winter storm warnings at this time.

a big problem across this area on christmas day, you have fewer snowplows on the road. it's going to create dangerous travel conditions. as the snow pulls across the northeast, new york, heavy rainfall, gusty winds, into the appalachians and even into new york state we'll see the risk of freezing rain. widespread power outages very well could be possibly on wednesday going into thursday. in the pacific northwest, storm activity moving in there. heavy snowfall into higher elevations, 30 centimeters, but the temperatures are cooling off in theidwest. winnipeg minus 22, chicago only 1 for your high. houston and oklahoma city, you see the difference. that's fueling the weather. houston expect your temperatures to drop right off. then as we look into europe, several storm systems pushing across central and western europe bringing heavy rain showers at times. but temperatures on the mild side.

london and paris at 9 and 11. really cools off in moscow. minus 1 for your high on your wednesday. here is a look at the extended forecast. we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

from all of us here at nhk world, thanks very much for joining us. have a great day wherever you are.